Q: “I have read that lifting weights doesn’t burn fat. What is true? How do I lose the 50 extra pounds I have put on? The easy way, please!)
– Barbara Hartley-Snazelle, San Francisco
A: The rate at which we are able to lose fat seems to be inversely proportional to the rate at which it is gained. So, to answer your last request first, the simple way is consistent vigilance regarding caloric intake and an equally consistent habit of daily exercise. I am afraid there is no “easy.”
The human body has the ability to lift, push, pull, run, jump, walk, crawl, hop, etc. We are not designed to be immobile lumps that just sit, ride and vegetate. This means that, in a society where we even watch poker on TV (thereby saving us the energy required to shuffle and deal the cards ourselves), we have to make the effort to balance the energy we consume (calories) with the energy we expend (daily activity, including exercise).
Lifting weights should be a part of everyone’s exercise protocol. Weight training is good for bones, builds strength, improves balance and flexibility and keeps us viable as we age. People who do not maintain muscle mass can become dangerously frail and weak. The more lean tissue we have the higher our resting metabolic rate (RMR – the number of calories our bodies need just to keep us alive -a whopping 60-75 percent of our total calories consumed). Muscle is more compact than fat so lifting weights can sculpt the body into a leaner, firmer, stronger, more energetic machine.
There is some hype that tries to convince people that all they have to do is lift weights and the increased muscle mass will burn fat off the body like a hot griddle. The reality on this is that it takes hard work to put on muscle. Weights lifted must be heavy enough at six to 15 repetitions to tire the muscles being worked. Women in particular usually resist the heavy lifting necessary to create muscle and, consequently, lift weights that are too light to do the job.
Research conflicts on the actual metabolic boost from increased muscle mass. Depending on what study you read, the increased daily caloric burn from added muscle ranges from 30 to 286 extra calories utilized per day. It is generally agreed that additional muscle does elevate the RMR for six to 36 hours after your workout.
According to the Energy Balance Laboratory at the University of Kansas, cardiovascular workouts should be performed at a moderate to high intensity (this is defined as huffing, puffing and sweating, not casual strolling) for about 45 minutes, four to five times per week. This and watching the diet is the key to dropping fat. Laboratory director Joseph Donnelly also recommends weight lifting one to three times a week, in addition to the cardiovascular workout.
Linda Buch, ACE certified exercise specialist, will respond to fitness questions only in her weekly column. Send questions to: Body Language, The Denver Post, 1560 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202 or LJBalance@aol.com.
